American Gangster
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ted Levine, Josh Brolin, Joe Morton, Common, RZA
Rated R

The first time Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe appeared together was a little sci-fi action film called Virtuosity. Crowe played an android serial killer and Washington played a cop with a robotic arm. Twelve years and Academy Award wins for both men later, the two reunite in American Gangster, a film that above all, showcased how far the men have come in that time.

Based on a true story, American Gangster follows the rise and fall of Frank Lucas (Washington) as one of the biggest drug kingpins in American history while simultaneously showing the fall and rise of officer Richie Roberts (Crowe) in his career in law enforcement.

Though their characters only meet 20 minutes before the end of the film, their parallel experiences offer intensive insight to life on both extremes of the law. Both men are pariahs in their own right: Lucas because of his ethnicity and unusual business practice to cutout the middle-men and “partners”; Roberts because of his clean-cop ethics. Both men are also shown to be hypocritical. Roberts’ high ethics that cause other officers to shun him don’t extend to his personal life, where his womanizing causes his ex-wife to leave the state with their son. Lucas, in one of the film’s most potent visual contrasts, believes he is saving Harlem by keeping order and doing good with his money. Yet on one Thanksgiving, we are shown juxtaposed images of Lucas celebrating with his family in warm, rich colors and unsaturated images of the people’s lives that were ruined or ended because of Lucas’ Blue Magic heroin.

Though Crowe’s performance is standard fare, he has done better. Washington is at the top of his game though, bringing Lucas to life in full force. This is no small task, portraying a man that rubbed elbows with celebrities and married a beauty queen while simultaneously running the largest drug market in New York. Lucas was a man that was wrongly underestimated by those around him, both determined to prove himself and do, in his own way, what he thinks is right for his neighborhood.

Despite the film’s intro, which shows Lucas burning a man alive before executing him by gunshot, the film is not highly dependent on violence. The violence, when portrayed however, is brutal and unrelenting. Just as Lucas shows no hesitation about shooting a rival gangster in the head in a crowded street, director Ridley Scott has no hesitation showing the reality of it to a crowded theater. But you can’t tell the real story of organized crime without seeing the dark underbelly, the street-level actions of the men in fine suits in large mansions. What Scott has shown, in vivid detail, is a largely forgotten, largely unspoken piece of American history. These men’s names rarely make history books (heck, Wikipedia barely mentions them), but their actions affected countless thousands.

The film’s only real problem is its length, running a tad long at various points, which throws off the pacing. But things improve considerably as the film progresses, with the last half-hour being the best part.

Overall, American Gangster is a great and original entry in the organized crime genre of films. This strong character-driven film may snag Washington another Oscar nomination and will certainly be remembered in years to come.